Pages

Tuesday, 4 September 2012

Magic Tales and Jesus' Parables

Have you read The Hobbit?
Have you seen the Lord of the Rings films?
Have you ever read the books or seen the Narnia Trilogy?
What about the Harry Potter books or films?

I have read all of these books, seen every film made of them and am madly excited to see the film of The Hobbit when it's released later this year. It's the worlds of myth, fantasy and magic which the authors bring to life that I adore ; it's an escape to another place where good conquers over evil every time. These authors create a fair place which inspires me to fight for fairness and build good communities; much like Jesus inspires me to do the same.

So what do these books' three authors have in common with each other and with me?
They are all Christian.
J.K. Rowling, C.S.Lewis and J.R.R.Tolkein are all disciples of Jesus Christ.

They believe and trust that Jesus died to save us from our sins.
They accept the Holy Spirit into their lives and invite him to work through them.
They pray to God for guidance in His world.
They believe in the forgiveness of sins and the power of good over evil.

Jesus spoke parables to explain his ministry and message; he used stories which appealed and made sense to his audience. These authors do the same for me; they share the good news of Jesus through stories that appeal.

So why do so many Christians speak up against or ban the Harry Potter books? Why are the Lord of the Rings films seen as spreading the ocult? Why is the magic of Narnia not embraced for its Christian symbolism and positive messages of love, trust, faith and truth?

Rachel spoke about Aslan being like Jesus the first time she saw The Lion, the witch and the wardrobe; if she can then why can't we all. These books are inspired by God and written for people; let's celebrate them and encourage debate when people read them.